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| | | Carr - Miller - Ramsey Loop, AZ | | | |
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Carr - Miller - Ramsey Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 22.79 Miles |
5,900 AEG |
| | Hiking | 22.79 Miles | 8 Hrs 57 Mns | | 2.96 mph |
| 5,900 ft AEG | 1 Hour 15 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Second time in the Huachucas. Threw together a loop that'd see more Crest and get me on top of Ramsey and the brothers Pat Scott. Had a go from the Sawmill TH around 6am. Road is probably doable in low clearance, but I wouldn't if it were my investment.
Sawmill Trail up to Carr Peak Trail. Really just a connector for those of us looking to save a few minutes driving time. Most reliable spring en route was putting out a decent flow and should be for a couple months more.
Carr Peak trail swings up the mountain quickly. Good tread, least tree cover on the day. Carr Peak views hazy in the early morning. Offers the best angle on Miller and time to wonder about the ubiquitous zeppelin down in the foothills.
Down Carr to Crest then out and back to Miller. More good tread this time through the surviving forest of fir and pine. Up the ridge steeper and steeper as it nears the Miller Peak Trail. Passes through a huge, young grove of aspen. There is a lot to see along this loop come autumn, expanding my search for this year outside of Ramsey Canyon. Half the elevation gain is out of the way by the time Miller summit comes. Best views of day, apart from maybe Ramsey.
Crest all the way back to the Carr jct. Clouds started to coalesce over the mountains. Kept going to the Hamburg jct and the track became unfamiliar. Perfect weather for the money stretch of Crest Trail. From Granite Mountain to the end of Crest at the Fort Huachuca border, I'm not sure there's better hiking in the state. It is as good as anywhere. Shady in the fir, cold breeze, and warm intermittent sunlight. Will never take Wisconsin Canyon down again, it is so worth it to loop around to Pat Scott Canyon.
Got Pat Scott #1 on the way to Ramsey and #2 on the way back. #1 is several times better than #2, which is marked as Pat Scott Peak on most maps. Weather increasingly dramatic as I started the climb up Ramsey.
The topos I looked through differed on the whether or not there is a trail to Ramsey, and it turned out there isn't one. Ascending Ramsey was probably the hardest part of the loop. It is easiest to summit if you stay north of the ridgeline, otherwise it is a good bushwhack. Unfortunately, this involves trespassing onto military property. If stepping 50ft into the seldom traveled upper reaches of military land is a deal breaker, I would say the peak cannot be summited using the ridge I did. The only person I met all day was on the summit tinkering with a ham radio when I got there. He came straight up the ridgeline from the preserve, a shorter, more difficult, and legal route. I asked what he made of the military border, and he shrugged. There are no signs marking it, no signs forbidding passage, only a fence line that is broken where the deer cross and somebody has marked the route by hanging reflective yellow flags from tree limbs.
Pat Scott Canyon back down. Just as good as Wisconsin Canyon. Firs, pines, oaks, maples. Really might make a good fall loop if the timing is right. The canyons in the Huachucas steep as anything, but Pat Scott makes easy work of the quick descent.
After that Hamburg for about 5 minutes before Comfort Springs. Beautiful woods on the backside of Carr. Second hardest part of the day was ascending Comfort springs and getting back out of the canyon. Once down around the Hamburg Mine, there was still ~1200 feet to gain. Pushed through that last section looping back around. Only saw the one hiker, not too busy up there. Temps from 40s-70s. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Some on Carr Peak, some near Miller Peak. Nothing good. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
Well not dripping at all, but there is a full box of clear water that’s easy to filter. 
Tuesday morning it was off to hike to the peak. Took my time and the weather held when it counted. Started to storm on my way down, but almost no lightning, so it was basically a nice non-scary walk in the rain. 
Still too early for the prime flower show (usually that is from about August 10 to September 10 for those interested). Hurricane didn't do much down this way (Tucson either) and the monsoon is a little deficient up to this point (in spite of early action), but that likely will change. 
